Lili proved that the hurricane forecasters with all the new technology, computers, satellites, and planes have a long way to go in predicting hurricane intensities.

While we here in La. lucked out and the windspeed of Lili without warning dropped 45 mph in 6 hours , it could certainly go the other way.

New Orleans' worst nightmare is a cat 1 storm tooling 10 mph towards N. O. from the southeast and without warning jump to a category 4 and gain forward speed in a sudden rush to the coast. Very few evacuate N. O. with a 85 mph storm coming. Until the forecasters get a better handle on predicting hurricane intensities there will always be a very real danger that this could happen.
Carmen in 74, Opal, and now Lili all prime examples of just how fickle these storms can be. The track is one thing the intensity forecast the other.
Hopefully next time the day after won't show a weak hurricane rapidly intensifying to a 3 or 4 at the last minute and throwing it's full fury onto an unprepared populace. How many times can you cry wolf before the wolf shows up? I don't know, but one day the wolf will bite and bite hard much like it did for Andrew, Audrey, and Camille.
The challenge to all the mets and especially ti the TPC in Miami will be to get a better understanding and a better handle on these mighty storms, and to maintain the confidence of those who rely on their information. The challenge is there. Let's all hope that it is met and met soon before there is a real worst case scenario.